Thrown to the Wolves
by Hitman47
Summary: Dawn Crenshaw is lost in Far Harbor while being hunted by a pack of wolves and trappers. She must survive in the snow while searching for her fellow Coursers: Damon, X6-88, and Kellogg.


Dawn Crenshaw stumbled through the snow-covered woods of Far Harbor. She had long blonde hair, was in her 40's, and had a slim build. She wore a long black coat and dark mascara around her eyes, a trait she had kept since she was a teenager. The snow blew at her face and caught in her hair as the cold wind sent chills all over her. She had yet to adapt to the cold weather as she had been a desert dweller her whole life. Dawn was down to 1 fusion cell in her Institute issued laser pistol but had a combat knife with a black blade with red around the edges. In the past year, Dawn had been trained to be a Courser for the Institute. She was recruited by Damon, another Courser, while she was living in New Vegas. Being in Far Harbor, she was unable to teleport back to the Institute. Dawn and her crew's mission was to rescue an escaped synth inside the abandoned Vim factory. As soon as they discovered the synth was dead, a group of trappers ambushed them. They were separated in the fight and Dawn was left alone. She had no choice but to walk down the dangerous streets; encountering more trappers. Her fellow Coursers, Damon, X6-88, and Kellogg had been lost. After barely surviving, she was left with little supplies. Dawn needed to make her way through the woods and along the trail.

Dawn kept her arms folded as she left footprints in the snow. Then, she noticed a set of animal prints that ran across from her. She kept on walking and saw more animal prints. When she examined them, she discovered they were wolf prints. 'They hunt in packs', she thought to herself. But wondered how many in a pack. The flurries had died down and now Dawn could see ahead more clearly. She walked faster, kicking up more snow along the way. Then, she heard a howl. She stopped and looked around her. Any sign of Damon or X6-88 and even Kellogg would be welcomed. Dawn took out her knife and proceeded through the snow. The howling was heard again. There were more wolf tracks in front of her. Then, Dawn heard something running behind her. She quickly turned around and saw a black wolf. As the wolf leaped at her, Dawn stabbed it in the chest. She ran down the snow-covered road passing nothing but trees and rocks. Two more wolves were on a hill to her right. One ran down after her. Dawn held the knife out and the wolf stopped. It growled at her as the other wolf remained behind. The wolf slowly moved towards her and made a sudden jump. Dawn used the knife to slice its throat. The other wolf quickly pounced on her and tackled her to the ground. Dawn quickly grabbed her laser pistol and used her last fusion cell to kill the wolf. She pushed the carcass off her and ran towards a small shack.

The shack was made from metal which had rusted. There was a small window on the side which was covered in fog. Dawn made her way to the door and after ramming it a few times, the door flung open. Inside, there was a weapons workbench, tools, and fishing supplies inside. It appeared that the shack had not been occupied in a long time. Then, she spotted a lever action rifle and ammunition on a wooden shelf. Another howling was heard close by. She wiped the fog from the window and saw three more wolves outside. It was obvious they had picked up her trail. Dawn knew there was only one way out. She turned to the door and realized she forgot to close it. One of the wolves ran in but she gunned it down. The noise from the rifle was not enough to scare the hungry pack away. They were determined to make a meal out of Dawn. She kicked the door closed and saw a wolf outside the window. She fired a shot. The bullet shattered the window and struck the wolf in the head. Once the echo of the gunshot faded, there was complete silence. Dawn waited and looked out the window, wondering where the other wolf was. Suddenly, the wolf came crashing through the window, tackling Dawn and causing the rifle to be knocked away. She tried to reach for her knife, but the wolf tried to bite her. She held the wolf back as it growled and snapped its sharp jaws at her. Then, she threw the wolf off her, sending it into the shack wall. Dawn quickly grabbed her knife and stabbed the wolf in the chest. She grabbed the rifle and trekked across the snow as the sound of the wolf whimpering faded.

Dawn continued down the snow-covered road towards the harbor. Up ahead was a small village that looked like every other place on the island; dilapidated and abandoned. There were footprints in the snow that appeared to be human. She had hoped one of the Coursers were up ahead. There was a large stone house and a smaller wooden building across from it. She walked past the house and towards a small workshop. Inside was a large power armor station and a toolbox nearby. Every time Dawn saw a power armor suit, she was reminded of Kurt McCall; an old flame from years ago. He joined the Brotherhood of Steel, married another woman, and decided to remain in New Vegas. Before she left for the Commonwealth, she asked him to come with her. Kurt was happy where he was, and Dawn left without him. While Dawn was reminiscing about her lost love, a red dot appeared on the wall. She quickly turned around and saw the dot on her chest. She dove into the snow as a bullet missed her, striking the wooden wall behind her. She quickly got up and hid behind the shed. Dawn peeked around the corner and saw a trapper inside the large house. She fired back at him and ran towards the house. The red dot moved along the snow. Then, two more trappers entered the area. Dawn was behind the stone wall of the house on the outside. There was a large hole in the wall near her. The trappers ran towards her and Dawn shot both of them. She ran into the house, being careful not to alert the sniper. He was on the top floor. She slowly made her way up the stairs and saw him near the window. Dawn fired a shot, but the bullet struck his armor. He turned around and she fired another shot, hitting him in the arm. He dropped the sniper rifle and Dawn fired another shot to his chest, causing him to stumble out of the window. She ran over the window and saw his lifeless body on the snow. She picked up the rifle and then saw three more trappers headed her way.

The trappers hid behind trees as Dawn got the sniper rifle ready. Since being on Far Harbor, she realized the trappers were a lot like raiders, except smarter and proficient. The trappers shot at her, but Dawn ducked behind the wooden cover. She aimed her rifle and shot one of them point blank in the chest. The trapper fell and was able to crawl back behind a tree. Another trapper fired a shot at her. Dawn moved and quickly fired a shot back. The trapper moved behind a tree. Then, all three trappers began firing shots at her. Dawn hid behind cover and saw an opening in the wall. She turned the laser off and aimed it at one of the trappers. She fired a shot and the bullet penetrated the trapper armor. She fired another shot this time striking one of them in the head. The last trapper aimed his assault rifle but could not see Dawn. Then, a loud gunshot was heard, and the trapper flew into the air. Dawn looked outside and saw all three trappers down with a red puddle in the white snow. Then, without warning, an explosion occurred around her. Dawn went out the window, landed on the slanted roof, and fell into the snow.

Dawn slowly opened her eyes and saw a trapper walking towards her. He had a missile launcher with him and was carrying a large hunting knife. Then, a gunshot struck the trapper in the head and he fell to the ground. Dawn saw another man walking towards her. He was tall, had long black hair, tan skin, and a was wearing a gray fur coat that appeared to be made from wolf's fur. He also had a head piece that was made from the head of a wolf. Dawn got a closer look at his face. He looked frightening with dark paint around his eyes. He stood over her holding a large machete.

"You killed my family," he said to her, "My brothers, my sisters, you murdered them."

Dawn laid there, still trying to recover from the fall. He knelt beside her and grabbed her hair.

"You will answer for your sins," he continued.

"Who did I kill?" Dawn muttered.

"I just told you."

He picked her up and held the machete to her throat.

"I had no idea those inbred dickheads were your family," Dawn snapped.

"The wolves you fool. You killed them," he revealed.

"They were gonna kill me. Kill or be killed. Hunt or be hunted. It's that kind of world."

"You invaded their territory; they had every right to kill you."

"Who the hell are you?" Dawn asked, "Lord of the wolves? The wolf whisperer?"

The man threw her down to the snow and pointed a pipe pistol at her.

"I am the Alpha," he stated, "No one invades my territory and kills my brethren."

"I should have just let them devour me," Dawn sarcastically remarked.

"Walk straight," the Alpha ordered.

Dawn complied as the Alpha kept the pipe pistol pointed at her.

"I could slice you open," he threatened, "But I will not deny my wolves the pleasure of hunting you."

Dawn thought about making a move, but she was still weakened by the fall. She still had a stimpak and needed to inject it. The Alpha looked around for his wolves. Dawn fell to the ground and injected the stimpak into her arm. After it took effect, Dawn kicked the pipe pistol out of his hand. She kicked him in the knee and stood up. She threw a series of punches and kicks. The Alpha did his best to block each shot. He lunged at her, but Dawn moved. He fell to the ground but quickly stood up. She tried to punch him, but he grabbed her arm and elbowed her in the ribs. He threw another punch, but she ducked and grabbed his arm. She struck him with a series of knee shots into his stomach. The Alpha picked her up and threw her down into the snow. He stumbled down and looked for the pipe pistol. Dawn got up and grabbed him from behind. She tried to choke him out. The Alpha grabbed her arms and overpowered her, causing her to release the hold. He struck her with a backhand shot to the face. Dawn hit the ground hard. The Alpha grabbed her hair as Dawn tried to struggle free. Then, the Alpha was hit from behind and fell to the ground. Dawn saw Kellogg. He was in his late 40's and had dark shaved hair on the sides and was bald on top. He also had a short dark stubble on his face as well as a scar over his right eye. He wore a black leather jacket, black boots, olive green pants, and a metal arm guard on his left am. There were numerous pouches on him that contained knives and guns. Kellogg looked down at the Alpha and began stomping on him.

The Alpha stood up and ran towards Kellogg. He struck the Alpha with a series of hook punches and the punched him in the stomach, knocking him down. The Alpha crawled away and then got back up. He tried to kick Kellogg, but he blocked it an struck him with an elbow. Kellogg struck him with a forward lunge kick to the face, knocking him back into the snow.

"Fun's over," Kellogg informed.

He took out a revolver and shot the Alpha in the head.

"You should have shot him before," Dawn criticized.

"I wanted to make him suffer," he responded.

She looked behind her and saw Damon. He resembled a young man in his early 20's, was bald and clean shaven. X6-88 was beside him and had a sniper rifle. He had dark skin with a fade haircut, sunglasses, and resembled a young man in his late 20's. They both wore the same black Courser uniform as Dawn. Damon ran over to her and helped her up.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Well, I almost got shot, eaten alive, nearly froze to death, and almost got blown up, but yeah, I'm fine," she answered.

"Glad you're okay," X6-88 said, "You to Kellogg."

"Gonna take a lot more than that to finish me off."

Dawn used to be creeped out by the sound of X6-88's voice. It was always low, calm, and almost robotic. He always praised her, and she felt he came off as the stalker type.

"It's time we head back," X6-88 suggested.

"Let's go," Dawn acknowledged.

She looked at Kellogg.

"I guess I owe you one," she said.

"Just try to stay out of trouble," he suggested.

Kellogg and X6-88 walked off, heading towards the harbor. Damon wiped the snow off Dawn's coat and hair. Then, they looked into each other's eyes as Damon briefly held onto her hair. He let go and they followed Kellogg and X6-88.

"I was worried about you," Damon told her.

"Oh, nothing I couldn't handle," Dawn replied.

"So now you know, synth retention isn't always easy."

"Remind me to never come to Far Harbor again. This place makes the Commonwealth look like the Kiddie Kingdom at Nuka-World; well, before everything went to hell."

Damon smiled.

"You need help walking, or am I going to have to carry you?" He joked.

"Carry me? No, I'll be fine."

"I take it you hate the snow."

"I've never seen snow in person before coming here. You're right, I do hate it."

Damon could not explain the feeling he got from Dawn. As she walked through the snow, he felt the need to put his arm around her and comfort her. He enjoyed the moments they had together from Junktown all the way to the Institute. He wanted to hold her hand; keep her warm.

The stimpak Dawn injected, had taken full effect. As she walked beside Damon, she felt something towards him. She wanted his help but felt it would lead to something she didn't know she was prepared for. Since being part of the Institute, she spent a lot of time with Damon. He helped train her, showed her the Commonwealth, had meals together, and Dawn would tell him pre-war stories. She knew Damon was a synth, but he acted a lot like a human. Dawn cleared herself of the thoughts and went back to focusing on getting back.

The boat sailed across the sea and away from Far Harbor. X6-88 captained the boat while Kellogg smoked a cigar. Dawn looked out the back and Damon gazed at the small waves. Dawn felt Damon close by. She wanted Damon to come near her; keep her warm, maybe hold her as the sight of Far Harbor faded. She wanted him to run his fingers through her hair. She rubbed her eyes, to once again clear the thought.

Damon looked at her. 'Go over there,' he thought to himself. Damon struggled with the idea of getting to close with a human. He still had doubts about the human race. According to the other synths, most of them were evil. They cause war, disease, death. But she was different, and Damon felt that judging her based on what he was told about humans was wrong.

The boat kept on sailing all the way back to the Commonwealth.


End file.
